The Trade and Industry Department is responsible for issuing licences covering the import and export of strategic commodities. The processing of a licence application involves a technical assessment process, which determines whether the product in question is controlled, for what reason it is controlled and what its technical capabilities are; and a risk assessment process which assesses the possible risk of diversion for illegitimate uses or proliferation activities.
An individual validated licence is required for the importation or exportation of commodities under control, irrespective of destination or exporting place. Licence applications are processed by the Strategic Trade Controls Branch of the Trade and Industry Department. Other government departments with an interest may be consulted as and when necessary. Re-export and transhipment cargoes are treated as import and export and therefore are also subject to the licensing requirement. On the other hand, articles in transit, i.e. goods which remain at all times in or on the vessel or aircraft in or on which brought into Hong Kong throughout its passage through Hong Kong, are normally not required to be covered by a licence except for particularly sensitive items as listed in
Schedule 2, or items which are, or may be, used in the development, production, handling or storage of weapons of mass destruction.
Depending on the technical capability of the goods and the destination, the application may also need to contain information on the end-user and the end-use of the goods.
Licences and Related Documents
- For the control of strategic commodities, the Trade and Industry Department issues the following four types of licences and related documents. You may click the following links for further information of the condition of uses:
- Specific Arrangement for Respective Types of Goods
Tips for Applying Licences